Funnel Cake Bites

So, hey kids.  This recipe started as a totally different idea, and if I were to do it again I'd probably change a bunch of things.  BUT the great thing is it's totally customizable so it's EASY to do that!  I wanted to do a version of a Kennywood funnel cake.  See, Kennywood is more than an amusement park near Pittsburgh - it was my childhood.  Every year my school district had a day off when all the students went to Kennywood, and some of my best memories are from that park.  It's still got it's old-timey feel, wooden roller coasters, and lets you bring in picnic baskets full of food that you can pretty much leave unattended in pavilions and no one will touch them.

What I WANTED was cherry-filled funnel cake bites, but I ran into some problems.  One, I only had pistachio pudding mix in the house.  Two, I had no syringe/turkey baster with which to fill them.  Three, I lacked a funnel...which is kind of necessary in making funnel cakes.  So I made it work!  So here's the recipe with some revisions so that your version turns out even better than mine.

Funnel Cake Bites    makes a dozen

Ingredients:

4 cups canola oil for frying

3/4 cups milk

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

confectioners' sugar

1 can pie filling

To prepare:

1.  Heat canola oil in a heavy skillet until 375 degrees.  In a bowl, whisk together the milk and egg for around 2 minutes.  Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2.  Pour batter into a funnel or pastry bag, holding your finger over the tip.  Working in batches, pour batter into the hot oil in the shape of circles.  It works well to start at a center point and tightly swirl around it until a circle forms.  You want a solid cake instead of the traditional lacy ones.

3.  Once the batter starts browning on one side, flip over and brown the other side.  Remove from oil and let cool and drain on paper towels.

4.  Once cool enough to touch, use a syringe or turkey baster to fill the funnel cake bite with your filling.  Sift confectioner’s sugar on top and serve warm.

The Verdict:

Okay, so this wasn't perfect.  The dough is pretty salty, so it would go better with a sweet filling instead of the pistachio.  Also, dipping in pistachio pudding made for a much messier experience.  But this recipe has so much potential!  Fill it with cherry pie filling, chocolate ganache, even Nutella.  The next time I make it I'll make sure to have the right ingredients and tools.  Still, it was worth it.

Snack on,

Cass